This invention relates to an improvement in the Leuckart reaction. More particularly it relates to an improvement in said reaction, especially as it applies to the preparation of 3-amino-2,2,4,4-tetramethylthietane, the improvement comprising the use of superior catalysts; namely, aluminum salts or boric acid.
The Leuckart reaction, a process for the reductive alkylation of ammonia, primary or secondary amines with carbonyl compounds has been extensively used to prepare a wide variety of amines (Moore, Organic Reactions, V, 301-330 (1949); Moeller et al. in Houben-Weyl, Methoden der Organischen Chemie XI/I, Georg Thieme, Stuttgart, 1956, pp. 648-664). The reduction is effected by reacting a carbonyl compound and the formic acid salt or formyl derivative of ammonia or amine to be alkylated, e.g. ammonium formate or formamide.
The use of magnesium chloride as catalyst for the reaction of benzophenone with formamide was reported by Webers et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 70, 1422-1424 (1948).
Bunnett et al.,J Am. Chem. Soc., 71, 1587-1589 (1949), report the results of their investigation into the use of a variety of substances as catalysts in the Leuckart reaction, including ferric chloride, zinc chloride, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. The ferric chloride and zinc chloride were inferior to magnesium chloride in the reaction of p-bromoacetophenone with dimethylformamide. Calcium chloride was, however, reported to be a better catalyst in said reaction than magnesium chloride.